The 36-year-old Frenchman has been with Everton since 2009, long enough to learn plenty about Evertonian distaste for crosstown Liverpool FC.

The Toffees have a fierce run-in to Championship Sunday in an attempt to dethrone Arsenal from its UEFA Champions League perch, and part of that effort would likely involve taking points from Manchester City… and doing that would could help Liverpool in its pursuit of the Premier League title.

“We’ve spoken about it with some of the staff and said, ‘What if we have to beat City to be in the Champions League, but by doing that Liverpool win the League’?” he said.

“The funny thing is some people would rather we don’t get Champions League as long as they don’t win the league. It’s mad!”

I don’t doubt the existence of hate-filled cynics who’d rather see their club suffer a bit than hear their co-workers and neighbors brag for a solid year, but it has to be such a minority. There’s no way such a percentage would be higher than 3-5 percent of supporters, and I’d think I’m being generous.

What do you think? What percentage of Everton fans would take the trade-off of a Liverpool No. 2 or lower finish in exchange for their Toffees missing the UCL?

This. Liverpool is already going to finish well above Everton. Why would you root against your team having a shot at the Champions League next season just so the Reds can’t hold the title at seasons end? That’s madness…